


Gifts

by Karmi



Series: Cloti Fall Festival 2019 [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Gifts, Promises, Proposals, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 17:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21479914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karmi/pseuds/Karmi
Summary: Cloud comes home a few days after the Fall Festival and he can't wait to see his family.He also has a few things to give them...
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Cloti Fall Festival 2019 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545817
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Fourth entry for #ClotiFallFestival2019!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it! This was originally going to be for Nov 17, but what I wrote for yesterday just... fit so perfectly, I had to switch them.
> 
> Nov 18 Prompt: Gratitude|Battle Couple; "Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes, it's letting go."

Seventh Heaven was still decorated for the Fall Festival, even though it ended three days ago.

Cloud stepped inside of their small, empty den, several packages of various sizes stacked in his hands. He watched the blinking string lights and lanterns hanging from the ceiling for a moment, the sounds of a very full bar on the other side of the wall.

He set the packages down to pull off his gloves, then took off his boots, placing them near the door. He picked the boxes back up and climbed to the upper floor. There was boisterous laughter now. He chuckled to himself, hoping she had some extra help.

Ah, the sounds of being home. For two weeks he’d been away, surrounded by the festivities of other taverns and inns. Or the sounds of a valley when he decided to camp. Or the frolic of other busy little towns as they celebrated their festivals, children laughing and people talking and fireworks in the sky.

He cursed himself for missing this one, but he was glad to be home. He couldn’t wait to see his family.

Upstairs, Cloud heard the kids in their room talking. He snuck past quietly as to not alert them to his presence. He needed to sort through a few things first.

He closed the door to his and Tifa’s room. He put the boxes down on a shelf in the back of the closet and lifted a sheet, revealing a few decorations of his own.

_I’ll have to make sure to thank Yuffie for this if it turns out well._

There was a knock at the door.

“Cloud!” he heard Marlene whisper loud enough for only him to hear. He figured that even if she shouted, the bar hostess wouldn’t have noticed.

He opened the door to their room with a smile.

“Get in here.”

Both kids scampered in and sat on the bed. He closed the door and turned to them.

“Were you able to get Mom’s gift?” Denzel asked.

Cloud's heart swelled. He still wasn't used to Denzel calling them "Mom" and "Dad," but it made him extremely happy every time.

“If I let you see it, will you be able to contain yourselves?”

They nodded vigorously.

Cloud went into the closet and grabbed the smallest box. It was deep blue with a crimson ribbon. He opened it, showing it to them.

They both gasped. Marlene giggled into her hands.

“Tonight?” the little girl squealed.

Cloud nodded. “After the bar closes. It sounds really busy down there.”

“Yeah!” Denzel said. “Mom was doing some new stuff for the Fall Festival. It’s been like that all week.”

“I’m sorry I missed it.”

“It’s okay!” Marlene hugged him around his neck. “We knew you’d be back soon! We missed you a lot.”

Cloud pulled Denzel into the hug, ruffling his hair. “I missed you too.” He looked at them. “Does she have help?”

“Daddy is here!”

“So are Yuffie and Vincent.”

He chuckled, imagining Vincent behind the bar trying to mix drinks.

“Okay. Let them know I'm here, but don't tell Tifa.”

* * *

After a shower and change of clothes, Cloud stood on the roof of the bar. He frowned, studying the display.

“Are you sure this will be okay?”

“She’s gonna _love_ this!” Yuffie shouted as she hung another multicolored string light. She straightened a few of the throw pillows surrounding the tables under the small octagonal gazebo before jogging to his side. “She deserves this. It’s gonna be fine!”

Cloud scratched the back of his head. “I know she deserves it… We’re just…”

“Lowkey? Tell me about it!” the young ninja laughed. “But you wanted to do something special right?”

He nodded.

“Well, this is pretty special while still being under the radar. If it were up to me, we’d have a full-blown party!”

Cloud smiled. “Yeah, I know.” He crossed his arms. “Thanks Yuffie.”

She turned to him with a wide grin. “No problem! I’m glad you’re _finally_ doing this. It’s been, what, two years since you two got back together?” Yuffie pushed her shoulder against his arm. “What took ya so long?”

“We needed time… We’re in a good place now but… I don’t know, I just want to give her more.”

“Cloud, if that’s all you’re worried about, you really are a doofus.” Yuffie touched his arm. “She loves you! You two belong together.”

He felt his face growing warm despite the cool air. He knew Yuffie could be sentimental but it still caught him off guard when she was. “So, you finished it,” he said in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

She folded her hands behind her head. “Oh yeah. Vince and I finished building it two days ago. It’s cute! Just the right size for the family! And we made sure to do it when the bar was busy. She doesn’t suspect a thing!” Yuffie giggled. “She thinks we just got here yesterday. Barret’s been here for a week, keeping her busy and helping us out when he could disappear for a while.”

Cloud nodded. Tifa had been talking about utilizing the space on the roof, but she couldn’t decide on what. The ninja suggested a Wutian style since Tifa was fond of Yuffie’s hometown flair.

It was just one more surprise for her.

The door to the roof opened. The kids ran up to them.

“She’s coming!” Marlene shrieked, barely able to contain her excitement.

Yuffie saluted Cloud with two fingers. “I’ll make sure to keep everyone out of your way!” she called behind her.

* * *

Tifa was growing more irritated as the night dragged on.

Barret insisted she go up to the roof after they finished cleaning up. Yuffie had disappeared to gods know where, and Vincent was even quieter than usual.

The bar had been hectic all week. She’d decided to do a new drink every day of the Fall Festival, and people lined up at the chance to try them. Every night she kept track of how many were ordered. Tonight, she was going to do a final tally to decide which one would be her new addition to the menu.

All she wanted to do was to count her drinks, flop into bed, and sleep. Hopefully in that order. Unfortunately, her friends were getting in the way of that productivity.

_I could save it for the morning._

It didn’t help that a grand total of three drinks had been spilled on her tonight. Three, when one drink spill almost never happened. And none of the spills were her fault, which almost made her more annoyed about it.

“Barret, I really need to—”

“I know Tifa, but Marlene’s up there. She only wants you.”

Tifa sighed. “Why can’t you talk to her?”

Barret crossed his arms and frowned. He almost looked hurt.

“I don’t know! Said only you could help!”

The barmaid rubbed her forehead. She was getting a headache.

“Okay. I need to change first. Can you tell her to just wait a little bit?”

“Will do,” he grunted. As he turned away, she caught the hint of a grin on his face.

In her room, she traded her soiled clothes for a pair of black pants and one of Cloud’s red flannel shirts. She liked to sleep in them while he was away and figured she would be going to bed soon.

Tifa bit her lip. He hadn’t called in three days, and the last she heard he was in Costa del Sol.

_“Sorry,” he said. “Got caught up helping a customer. They needed an extra delivery… I’m going to miss the festival.” _

_He sounded so disappointed._

_“You have a soft heart,” she laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll see you when you get home, okay? Just be safe.” _

She wondered when that would be as she eyed a silver box sitting on the dresser.

Someone knocked and entered the room.

“You should get upstairs,” Yuffie said with a smile.

“Where have you been?”

The ninja shook her head, her smile widening.

Tifa sighed, exasperated. “Why is Marlene up on the roof anyway? And where is Denzel?” she asked as she let her hair down. It was getting long again, and she had to tie it up all week because it was too warm.

“He’s on the roof too.”

Tifa rolled her eyes as she placed her feet into a pair of thick, plushie slippers.

As she climbed the steps to the roof, she took deep breaths. Her irritation was mostly from exhaustion, and that wasn’t the kids’ fault. She didn’t want to take it out on them. But something was up, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Her eyes widened in surprise once she opened the door.

Cloud stood in the threshold of a gazebo that was _definitely not _there a couple of weeks ago, decorated in string lights of different colors. Lights also hung on the rails surrounding the roof. He motioned for her to join him. She noticed he was in a white cotton shirt and blue pants.

“What’s that look?” he asked her.

She laughed softly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.

“Your outfit reminds me of Nibelheim. You’re still a country boy from the mountains.”

Cloud raised a brow. “Flannel,” was all he said as he sat cross-legged at the table.

The kids were also there and greeted Tifa with bright smiles. A black box sat in front of Marlene, a yellow one in front of Denzel.

She crossed her arms as she sat. “Okay, what’s going on? And when did you get home?”

“A couple of hours ago.”

She gawked. “Why didn’t you call?”

“Tifa.” Cloud took her hand and squeezed. He turned to the kids. “Okay, you can open them.”

They both looked at each other before carefully lifting the lids from their respective gifts.

Marlene pulled back the wrapping paper and gasped. “A new camera!”

Cloud nodded. “This one should last longer than the other one.”

She held it tightly to her chest. “Thank you!”

Denzel held a pair of goggles in his hands. “Are these…?”

“I know you want more rides on Fenrir, so I got you a pair of riding goggles that match mine.”

Denzel clutched them and whooped. “Yes! Thanks Dad!”

Tifa squeezed his hand back. “Cloud, these are so nice.”

“I’m not done yet.”

He reached behind him and grabbed a navy box with a red ribbon, this one smaller than Marlene’s and Denzel’s. Cloud stood, taking Tifa with him to the doorway. Marlene and Denzel ran past them and toward the door to the roof.

“Cloud…?”

He placed one arm around her shoulders and stared at the sky. “I’ve… thought about this for a while. Yuffie helped me with a lot of it. Said you’d like this.”

She smiled at him. “I do. It’s wonderful.”

He squeezed her arm. “The stars remind me of that night all those years ago.”

Tifa looked up at the twinkling stars above them. She recalled several nights he could be referring to, childhood dreams, a confession, and leaned against him.

“Yeah, they do.”

Cloud sighed, kissing the top of her head. “We’ve had to fight… hard to get here. In a lot of ways. But you were always by my side, always watching my back. You never abandoned me. Even after all these years, I still wonder why.”

“Why?”

“I wonder why you stuck around. Why you waited for me… Why you put up with me, with my burdens, even though you’ve suffered too. I’ve wondered why… why you love me.” He stepped in front of her and took both of her hands into his, staring into her crimson eyes. “I could stand here all night and tell you every single reason why I love you.”

She tilted her head, biting her lip. She could hear her heart throbbing in her ears.

“Cloud, I know.”

He smiled. “I’ll tell you a couple of reasons anyway.” He squeezed her hands and took a deep breath. “I’m grateful that you’ve always been there for me, always picked up the pieces. That you’ve forced me to understand there is strength in letting go. That I don’t have to hang on to everything and go it alone…”

He took another breath. Tifa stayed quiet. Since he returned, he’d gotten better with his words, at communicating with her. But she knew for him to voice such intimate thoughts was still a little tough, and she appreciated the gesture more than she could say.

“I’m grateful that you’ve always pushed me. That you’ve always… always believed in me. I want…" He sighed. "Tifa, I want you to know that I may never be able to give back everything you’ve given to me but… I want to try. Even if it takes the rest of my life.”

Cloud opened the box. Inside was a silver ring.

Tifa felt a lump in her throat as she tenderly took it out. The ring was a simple band with a line of tiny diamonds on the outside that resembled a shooting star.

On the inside was an engraving.

_I promise. Forever._

Tears welled in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her right hand as Cloud took the ring and slipped it onto her left.

“Will you let me try Tifa?”

Her hand shook as she stared at it.

“The rest of our lives?” she finally managed to whisper.

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “If you’ll have me for that long.”

She nodded, crying. “Yes Cloud. Of course I will.” Tifa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

They broke away at the sound of cheers from the door. Their friends hooted and clapped excitedly. Tifa laughed, wiping her face. Cloud hugged her.

“I love you,” she said softly, still sniffling.

“I love you too,” he whispered back, kissing her nose.

She held his face in her hands. “I have a gift for you.”

“What?”

“It’s… in our room. I would have brought it up if I knew you were here!”

“Tifa!” Yuffie called as she ran up to them. She handed Tifa a small silver box with a wink.

Tifa’s eyes widened as she took it. “You sneaky…”

Yuffie giggled and took a step back. “Go on!”

Cloud glanced between the two of them. “What…?”

Tifa opened his gift. Cloud stared down at a silver ring, this one bigger than the one he gave to her.

“I… was going to ask if we could make a new promise.” She laughed. “But you already did!”

He could only nod, his own eyes stinging. As soon as she put the ring in its proper place on his finger, he wrapped her in the tightest hug he could.

Barret looked up at Marlene, who was sitting on his shoulder. “You got some good ones?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah! Can I get down?”

Barret set her down, and she darted off to the newly engaged couple.

“Look!” she shouted as she approached them. Barret was right behind her.

Cloud picked her up as she flipped through the photos on her camera: Tifa looking down at the ring as Cloud opened the box; Cloud slipping it on her finger; their kiss; Tifa giving Cloud his ring.

Marlene was very proud of herself. She was getting really good at this!

“Oh Marlene, these are great!” Tifa gushed, kissing her on the cheek.

“Lemme see!” Denzel peeked over as Marlene flipped through them again.

Vincent folded his arms and leaned back against the door with a smirk. Yuffie eyed him.

“What?”

“Cloud asked me a while ago if our sins could be forgiven.” He watched his friends. “Guess he’s finally figured that out.”


End file.
